Republicans Want To Know If Beyonce And Jay-Z Had Permission To Go To Cuba

Two US Republican lawmakers want to know if popular American pop
star Beyonce and her husband, rap singer Jay-Z,
had the US government's permission to travel to Cuba despite an
economic embargo.

Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart of
Florida on Friday sent a letter to Adam Szubin, director of the
Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department,
requesting information on the type of license Beyonce and Jay-Z
had received before traveling to Cuba.

"As you know, US law expressly prohibits the licensing of
financial transactions for 'tourist activities' in Cuba," the
pair wrote.

They went on to say that these restrictions were in place because
the Cuban government was listed by the US State Department as one
of four state sponsors of terrorism and has "one of the world's
most egregious" human rights records.

Beyonce and Jay-Z created a stir Thursday as they toured the
streets of Old Havana, with hundreds of Cubans turning out to
catch a glimpse of the US power couple.

Celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary, they visited
historical landmarks in the heart of Old Havana, which is a
UNESCO World Heritage site. They snapped pictures and spoke with
local residents.

Beyonce -- who sang the US national anthem at President Barack
Obama's inauguration in January and performed in the Super
Bowl half-time show in February -- was wearing a short
mustard yellow dress with black and white accents.

After visiting the cathedral, the couple had lunch in a nearby
restaurant.

On Wednesday night, they also had dinner at La Guarida, one of
Havana's most exclusive restaurants.

Americans are not allowed to visit Cuba and spend money there
unless they have special US government permission.

According to regulations posted on the Treasury Department's
website, "unless authorized by a general or specific license, any
person subject to US jurisdiction who engages in any Cuba
travel-related transaction violates the regulations and may be
subject to penalties."

Criminal penalties for violating the regulations could result in
up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in individual fines.

Thousands of Americans nevertheless visit Cuba every year without
US permission, often via third countries. But back home they are
rarely prosecuted for their rule-breaking unless they flaunt
their defiance of the rules.

Beyonce is a strong and vocal supporter of President Obama and
helped raise money for his 2012 re-election campaign.

In their letter, the Republican lawmakers noted that numerous
press reports described the couple's trip as tourism and that the
Cuban government had touted it as such in its propaganda.